15 Most Underrated TV Shows On Netflix

For the past few years, Netflix could fairly be accused of employing a strategy of throwing everything they've got against a wall and seeing what sticks. With new series and original films premiering on a weekly basis, viewers are both spoiled for choice and browbeaten into submission with the sheer quantity of options at their fingertips. But let's be honest, quality control hasn't exactly been the name of the game for the streamer. They traffic in numbers, pure and simple, and with enough content there's sure to be some projects that end up being winners. That's just the law of probabilities.

But this approach has an unintended side effect, in that plenty of genuinely good shows fall by the wayside, ignored by viewers in a media landscape where its physically impossible to pay attention to every new release. Whether they were cancelled too early, failed to find an audience, or didn't develop the reputation over the years that they deserved, these are the most underrated TV shows on Netflix.

"My Life With the Walter Boys" can claim at least one important record: It has to be the first Netflix series based on a story that originated on Wattpad. Written by Ali Novak, "My Life With the Walter Boys" follows Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) during an earth-shattering transition. After the sudden death of her parents in a car accident, Jackie moves from Manhattan to Colorado, where she is taken in by the Walters. Katherine Walter (Sarah Rafferty) was Jackie's mother's best friend, and she and her husband George (Marc Blucas) become Jackie's legal guardians. But they also already have eight kids of their own, some of whom are teen boys and, as Jackie can't help but notice, are very cute. 

Which Walter boy will win her heart? Only time will tell. If you were a fan of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" or the gold standard teen rom-com "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" (or basically anything by Jenny Han), "My Life With the Walter Boys" is going to hit that same sweet spot of fluffy teen romance with just a hint of depth.

On the surface, "Geek Girl" sounds like the most cringey teen wish fulfillment imaginable: The awkward girl who doesn't fit in at her high school ends up being scouted by a talent agency and becomes an international high fashion model. But as goofy as the log line is, "Geek Girl" has an endearing lead actress in Emily Carey and a ton of heart. 

Harriet (Carey) is a science geek with a penchant for obscure facts, a tendency to trip over her own feet, and exactly one friend in the entire world. She's bullied more or less constantly by her more popular classmates, but the tables turn when she finds an unexpected aptitude for modeling, which sets her on a new path, one that offers her opportunity for growth but also threatens to upend the safe, comfortable experience she's built or her herself. (And it introduces her to handsome male model Nick Park — played by Liam Woodrum — because come on, of course it does.) 

"Geek Girl" is silly escapism, but it's also inherently watchable — the perfect option when you just want to turn your brain off.

How is it even possible that a spy drama starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw could fly under the radar? We'll tell you the answer in two simple words: "Slow Horses." The Apple TV+ darling starring Jack Lowden and Gary Oldman in one of his career best roles has sucked up all the oxygen in the world of espionage television, leaving "Black Doves" critically acclaimed but criminally underwatched. 

Knightley stars as Helen, an international spy married to the Secretary of State for Defense (Andrew Buchan), who is stunned to learn that her former lover has been unceremoniously murdered. And what's more, her employers — the Black Doves, an independent espionage organization — believe that her life might be in danger as well. Full of suspense and excellent performances from its lead cast, "Black Doves" caught the eye of critics, but it has languished in the shadows of "Slow Horses." Luckily, this won't impact its future: Before the show even premiered, Netflix announced that it had been renewed for a second season.

"American Vandal" made a splash when it first came out, largely because of the shock value of the first season's central mystery: Who went around spray-painting male genitalia all over the teachers' parking lot at Hanover High School? But because of the show's unabashedly crude narrative, it was easy not to take seriously as a pitch-perfect satire of the true crime genre mashed up against high school culture. 

Peter (Tyler Alvarez) and Sam (Griffin Gluck), two plucky teenage journalists, attempt to determine if the most likely suspect (class clown Dylan, played by Jimmy Tatro) was actually guilty of the crime or if he was just a convenient stooge to pin it on. But of course, as in any true crime drama, the deeper they dig, the more secrets and lies they uncover. "American Vandal" was renewed for a second season, which saw our intrepid duo investigate a gruesome incident at the local Catholic school perpetrated by "The Turd Burglar." But after that, Netflix declined to bring back the quirky but clever satire. Although it was shopped around to other networks, "American Vandal" ultimately ended after its second season.

The Renaissance-era anthology of short stories "The Decameron" was written in the midst of the Black Death, so while not all of its tales are as earth-shatteringly depressing as you might expect, it's not exactly a laugh-out-loud read. The same cannot be said, however, for its Netflix adaptation, which leans into absurdist comedy to tackle the surreal nature of life during a terrifying epidemic. 

"The Decameron" features a funny and likable cast of players, including Tony Hale, Tanya Reynolds, Zosia Mamet, and Saoirse-Monica Jackson, all gleefully romping through what by all rights should be a sober, contemplative period drama. Perhaps this concept was a little too out there for audience, because although it was released to a mostly positive reception from critics, it wasn't exactly a buzzy product for the streamer, and there has been no word as to whether or not it would receive a continuation on Netflix.

If you're a denizen of social media, you'll likely be familiar with "Cunk on Earth" because of a line of hers that went viral on Tiktok: "It's hard to believe that I'm walking through the ruins of the first ever city," she intones seriously. "Because I'm not. That's in Iraq, which is miles away and f***ing dangerous." But beyond this tasty little soundbyte, not enough viewers have sampled the delights of Philomena Cunk and her frankly bizarre "Cunk on Earth" mockumentary series.

Diane Morgan plays Philomena Cunk not just as a journalist wildly unprepared for the historical documentary series she's presenting, flubbing every interview by focusing on the wrong details and editorializing constantly throughout her deadpan narration, but as someone who seems unfamiliar with life as a human on the planet Earth. Cunk bulldozes her way through the traditionally sober documentary template, creating absurdism out of the stodgy format and making "Cunk on Earth" one of the most underrated British comedy series.

Back in the day, Elisabeth "Sisi" of Bavaria was the ultimate tragic princess (well, technically duchess, then empress, but that's neither here nor there). A free spirit trapped in a rigid court surrounded by overbearing in-laws, she's also wildly unhappy, forced to live up to impossible standards as a wife, woman, and mother, and dead at an early age — she's basically the 19th century Habsburg version of Princess Diana. It's with a sense of trepidation that we watch "The Empress," which showcases the early days of Sisi's marriage to Austrian emperor Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant). What begins as a fairy tale quickly becomes a nightmare, as Sisi becomes fully aware of what she's got herself into when she married her Prince Charming. 

While the first season of the German historical series was released on Netflix without much fanfare, luckily the second season has been creating some buzz as more and more audiences have begun to tune in. Hopefully it will follow in the footsteps of "The Crown" and become a streaming phenomenon — although history tells us that this story is only going to get darker and more upsetting the longer it goes on.

"Dead Boy Detectives" is kind of the poster child of being doomed from the start. The production was beleagured early on, first greenlit by Max to function in concert with "Doom Patrol," one of their superhero shows, before shifting over to Netflix to fit into the larger universe of "The Sandman," helmed by the recently disgraced Neil Gaiman. With this lack of vision and purpose, it's easy to see why Netflix pulled the plug on the show after just one season — they simply didn't know what to do with it.

Still, in a world filled with mysteries and thrillers that delight in being purposefully obtuse, it's refreshing to have a supernatural show that's about exactly what it says on the tin. "Dead Boy Detectives." There are two dead boys, and they work as detectives. Job done. Edwin (George Rexstrew) and Charles (Jayden Revri) are two ghosts who declined the opportunity to go into the white light, instead sticking around on Earth to investigate all sorts of supernatural goings-on. The two performances are incredibly endearing, providing much of the likeability factor of "Dead Boy Detectives" — although, unfortunately, that wasn't enough to keep the show around.

Based on the 1958 Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, which was also given a big screen adaptation starring Burt Lancaster in 1963, "The Leopard" is a sprawling historical epic that's given the full, glitzy "period drama" treatment. It stars Kim Rossi Stuart as the Prince of Salina, a Sicilian royal whose life is turned on its head amidst the Italian upheaval in the late 19th century. During this time, Italy became, well, Italy: One united country out of a hodgepodge of semi-independent kingdoms. But that sort of transition is not without its growing pains, as the Prince of Salina and his family can attest.

"The Leopard" steps into big shoes — the 1963 film production, directed by Italian neorealist filmmaker Luchino Visconti, is widely regarded as a classic. Some could make the argument that this new Netflix adaptation is not, strictly speaking, entirely necessary. But although the older film stands on its own, "The Leopard" is nonetheless a delight, as its opulent period settings create a feast for the eyes.

If you're like us, the kind of cooks who can barely boil water but scoff at the contestants on "Top Chef" who are still making the unforced error of trying their hand at risotto, you may be in dire need of a new show during the long and grueling periods when the beloved cooking competition series is off the air. We're pleased to say that "Culinary Class Wars" fills that niche nicely.

Containing a gargantuan cast of Korean chefs and restauranteurs, "Culinary Class Wars" doesn't seem worried that there are too many players for the audience to emotionally connect with them. Frankly, the show doesn't have time for that — it moves at a breakneck speed, quickly whittling down the number of contestants until we're left with a manageable group of rising stars and established names. 

The hook of "Culinary Class Wars" is that they're pitted against one another, as the show tries to determine if the chefs without a Michelin star restaurant or traditional culinary training can measure up against the best in their industry. An immediately engaging cooking show, "Culinary Class Wars" has endearing characters, inventive challenges, and some of the tastiest-looking food we've ever seen.

When it comes to intrepid heroines from classic literature who have stood the test of time, Anne of Green Gables is one of the best. An intrepid orphan determined to see the world as beautiful, Anne Shirley (Amybeth McNulty) arrives at her new home on Prince Edward Island only to discover an awful truth: Brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert were intent on adopting a boy to help with the farm, and they have no use for a girl. If Anne wants to stay at Green Gables, she'll have to worm her way into their hearts — a feat she eventually accomplishes, despite neither of her new parents knowing how to handle her melodramatic and impulsive tendencies.

"Anne With an E" brings a modern edge to the classic children's novel, but it does so without changing what made the story so beloved in the first place, staying true to the spirit of L.M. Montgomery's work. Still, "Anne With an E" had to fight for survival throughout each one of its three seasons, tragically ending before exploring Anne's young adult life that's featured in several of the books.

In a lot of period romances, the chaperone is a character to be pitied or mocked. What purpose do they serve, after all, except to stand in the way of the kind of steamy content that we're all watching the show for anyway? "The Lady's Companion" flips the script on this dynamic, centering the role as no mere fuddy-duddy making sure that couples leave room for Jesus, but rather a shrewd matchmaker and a sexual being in her own right.

Nadia de Santiago plays Elena Bianda, who is hired to serve as a chaperone for the three daughters of a wealthy Madrid family, each of whom is on the hunt for a husband. Her role is not only to protect her charges from the appearance of impropriety, but also to guide them towards the kind of men they should be meeting. "The Lady's Companion" feels a lot like Spain's take on "Bridgerton," a sly historical rom-com that doesn't hold much sacred in its effort to entertain.

Considering how famous Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson have both become among comedy lovers in recent years, it's kind of surprising that "Detroiters" hasn't blown up way more than it has now that the series is streaming on Netflix. Released on Comedy Central back in 2017, "Detroiters" stars Robinson and Richardson as best friends and brothers-in-law who together run a struggling advertising agency in Detroit. Unlike their AMC counterparts in "Mad Men," the clients of Tim and Sam are strictly small potatoes — they're chasing after local businesses and producing low-budget commercials — and frequently making a mess of both. 

Although the comedy of the show frequently goes into absurdist territory, the friendship between the two grounds the show into something audiences can not just laugh at, but grow emotionally attached to. "Detroiters" ran for two seasons on Comedy Central before being cancelled, although it's receiving something of a second life on Netflix, as more viewers begin to discover its charms.

Jeff Goldblum as Greek sky daddy Zeus? Sign us up. Once upon a time, the Greek gods were revered, but now they've been pushed to the side, a fact that Zeus is particularly peeved about in "Kaos." The show revolves around the petty dramas of the Greek pantheon of deities, as well as their interactions with a trio of humans — Eurydice (Aurora Perrineau), Caeneus (Misia Butler), and Ariadne (Leila Farzad) — who are prophesized to end their reign of control. 

Brought to life by Charlie Covell, who was also responsible for helming "The End of the F***ing World," "Kaos" has a dark, sly sense of humor that keeps the capricious nature of the Greek gods intact while updating their mythology to a modern setting. Although it was originally conceived of as a three-season series, "Kaos" was unceremoniously cancelled by Netflix after just eight episodes, despite largely positive reviews from critics.

Is there anything more frustrating than a genuinely interesting supernatural mystery series that gets unceremoniously cancelled before its showrunners have a chance to explain to us what's actually going on? "1899" follows the path of a transatlantic steamer making its way from Southampton to New York just before the turn of the 20th century. But before the ship even departs, there are ill omens. Its sister ship disappeared without a trace following the exact same course across the ocean just a few months earlier, which hardly bodes well. Passengers begin having strange visions of the future. Mysterious figures turn up out of the blue. Next to the Titanic, this is pretty much the last ship across the Atlantic you want to be on. 

With all the tension and mystery surrounding the passengers in "1899," it was deflating when Netflix announced that they would not be renewing the series after its first season, even though it (like "Kaos") was originally conceived to tell a full story over the course of three seasons.